Landlord Compliance Checklist: England Duties and Evidence (2026)

Start with the property’s nation, tenancy type and actual evidence—not a universal list of certificates. This England-focused checklist helps identify common duties, missing records and the next action. It is not an exhaustive legal audit or a certificate of compliance.

Rules differ across the UK and some obligations depend on the building, occupation or local licence. The Tendmere editorial team checked the linked official sources on 9 September 2026. This is general information, not professional legal or safety advice. Immediate danger needs an appropriate emergency response, not a checklist.

Quick answer

For a typical private tenancy in England, review applicable gas and electrical safety, energy performance, alarms, deposit protection and information, right-to-rent checks, written tenancy information, repair duties and local licensing. Not every property has gas, every occupier has the same tenancy type, or every document is renewed annually.

For each item, record applicability, the source document, its findings, any delivery requirement, follow-up work, next date and responsible person. Keep “not applicable”, “unknown”, “evidence missing” and “reviewed” distinct. Use the free compliance calendar to organise dates you already know, not to determine every duty.

Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)

Where applicable, gas appliances and flues need an annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer. GOV.UK explains the tenant-record requirements: give existing tenants the record within 28 days of the check and new tenants a copy before they move in.

Keep the actual report and follow-up evidence, not just a booked appointment. Ask the engineer to confirm the correct next-check date and any permitted scheduling arrangements; do not infer them from an upload timestamp. If the record is missing, use the missing gas safety record checklist. An invoice is not a replacement for the safety record.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

For properties within scope, current domestic MEES guidance concerns a minimum EPC E standard in England and Wales, unless a valid exemption applies. Establish the actual property’s EPC and exemption position rather than assuming all rented buildings follow an identical rule.

The government’s response on higher standards sets a single compliance date of 1 October 2030 for EPC C or equivalent, with detailed transition and exemption arrangements. Keep that future standard separate from today’s E-standard rules. In particular, do not use a future £10,000 cost cap as though it replaces the current regime’s £3,500 improvement cap today.

Record the source date, assessment, recommended work and relevant exemption evidence. Obtain competent advice on what applies before commissioning improvements or claiming an exemption.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

In-scope England rented homes require inspection and testing at least every five years, or sooner if the report specifies. Official electrical-safety guidance explains reports and follow-up duties. C1 means danger present: arrange immediate appropriate action by a competent person, not a routine 28-day wait.

Required remedial or investigative work generally has a 28-day maximum or the shorter period in the report. C2 and FI findings need appropriate action; C3 is an improvement recommendation. These labels are not DIY instructions. Keep the report, written completion evidence and required provision to tenants or the council connected.

Use the EICR action checklist for a more detailed record. Do not call the case complete merely because an electrician attended.

Deposit Protection + Prescribed Information

For in-scope England and Wales deposits, GOV.UK explains the 30-day protection and information requirements. The relevant receipt date matters; do not assume the clock begins only at move-in. Different rules apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Keep the amount, receipt evidence, actual scheme confirmation, required information and service history. A holding deposit and tenancy deposit are different; obtain advice on an unclear conversion or payment history. A management change or periodic tenancy transition is not a reason to invent a new receipt date.

The prescribed-information checklist helps expose gaps. Software records do not protect a deposit with the scheme or remedy a historic breach by themselves.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

England’s alarm guidance requires a smoke alarm on each storey with living accommodation and a carbon monoxide alarm in a living-accommodation room containing a fixed combustion appliance, except gas cookers. Check the actual scope and exclusions.

Alarms must work at the beginning of a new tenancy. Repair or replace faulty alarms as soon as reasonably practicable after notification. Keep a dated check and action record. A photograph or tenant signature may support the history but is not a guaranteed legal defence or proof that every requirement was met.

Right to Rent Checks

Right to Rent applies in England, subject to exemptions, and checks concern adult occupiers rather than only the named lead tenant. Follow the appropriate current online or document route without discrimination. For time-limited permission, the initial check needs the relevant 28-day timing and follow-up rules.

Do not apply that timing indiscriminately to every check or assume an old identity document remains an accepted route. Retain only the required evidence securely. Refer to the official process where the person’s status or eligible method is uncertain.

Legionella Risk Assessment

HSE requires assessment and control of the risk; it does not prescribe a universal annual or two-year review cycle or require a “legionella test certificate”. Review periodically and when circumstances change. A proportionate assessment may be appropriate for a simple domestic system; use competent help if necessary.

Record what was assessed, controls, relevant changes and follow-up responsibility. Vacant periods can change water-system use. Do not treat a calendar tick as a substitute for assessing the actual system or give tenants unsafe maintenance instructions.

Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018

Fitness and repair duties concern the condition of the home throughout the tenancy, not just certificates. Keep reports of damp, heating failures, leaks or other hazards linked to assessment, response and outstanding work. The official safety overview explains the requirement to keep a home safe and free from health hazards.

Our practical recommendation is to record when a concern arrived, who is assessing urgency and when the next update is due. Do not wait for an arbitrary seven-day administration target where the circumstances need faster action. Use the damp and mould report checklist to organise evidence, not diagnose the cause.

How to Rent Guide

Historic How to Rent records may remain relevant, but the current assured-tenancy information requirements changed from 1 May 2026. GOV.UK distinguishes written information for new tenancies from the Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet for qualifying existing tenancies. Existing arrangements without written terms have their own information requirement.

Check the actual tenancy and applicable deadline. Do not assume an old PDF, a fresh agreement template or a “renewal” button proves that the right information was supplied. If delivery is missing or late, retain the true dates and obtain advice rather than backdating the record.

HMO and Selective Licensing

England’s mandatory HMO licensing generally covers qualifying shared homes with at least five occupants from more than one household. There is no three-storey requirement. Smaller HMOs may fall within additional licensing, and selective licensing can concern other rented homes.

Check the council’s current designation, address boundary, exemptions and licence conditions. A postcode hint is not an authoritative “all-clear”. Keep council confirmation and the actual licence, including any occupation limits, conditions and renewal date. Licensing and planning are distinct questions.

Right to Quiet Enjoyment + Notice of Entry

GOV.UK describes repair-access notice and reasonable timing. Giving notice is not blanket permission to force entry when access is disputed. Seek appropriate advice, and use the appropriate emergency response for immediate danger.

Our suggested record includes the reason for the visit, notice, tenant response, agreed window, contractor and outcome. The repair-access checklist helps keep unanswered requests visible without treating silence as agreement.

Tenancy Type Compliance

Identify the actual arrangement before using a form or deadline. Most England private assured tenancies moved to the periodic framework from 1 May 2026; other tenancy and occupation types can differ. Keep historic terms and evidence rather than replacing them solely to tidy the record.

A management handover is not necessarily a new tenancy. Returned keys are not, by themselves, a complete legal analysis of when a tenancy ended. Get advice before changing terms, serving notices or making possession decisions.

What changes under the Renters' Rights Act

The official implementation roadmap separates the first tenancy reforms from later measures, including the database and ombudsman rollout. Do not describe every planned measure as already operational. Check commencement, transition and the actual property scope before acting.

Record what applies now and keep future preparation separate. A software readiness status is not government registration, ombudsman membership or a legal decision. Public guidance and professional advice remain necessary where the facts are uncertain.

Compliance differences in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

This checklist’s detailed tenancy examples concern England. Do not reuse them unchanged for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Registration, licensing, contract types, deposit schemes, safety duties and notice procedures need nation-specific checks.

For a mixed portfolio, put the nation and relevant authority at the top of each property record. Record the official source used and avoid applying an England deadline across the portfolio just because the software offers one common screen.

Annual + One-Off Action Plan

Build the plan from actual obligations and source documents, not a generic annual reset:

1. Identify the nation, tenancy and property facts.
2. Separate urgent risks from routine record gaps.
3. Confirm each applicable obligation and source.
4. Record the document, findings and any delivery evidence.
5. Assign follow-up work and the correct next date.
6. Review changed circumstances and preserve the history.

Start with the compliance calendar and evidence guide. A date you cannot verify should remain unknown rather than being guessed to complete setup.

Common compliance mistakes

• Confusing an appointment with completed work.
• Using future energy rules as the current exemption regime.
• Waiting on a routine deadline despite an immediate danger finding.
• Assuming every obligation renews annually or every document is mandatory.
• Calling a missing source “not applicable”.
• Backdating evidence or treating a postcode lookup as legal confirmation.

How Tendmere helps

Tendmere organises recorded dates, evidence, responsibilities and follow-up actions. It does not inspect the home, certify compliance or discover every unrecorded obligation. Review the compliance workflow and the repairs and safety task guide before deciding how to organise your property.

Related guides

• Find missing evidence in a property file
• Set up your first property record
• Check a repair before closing the case
• Check deposit information and delivery records